Winning the Fight against Unemployment; the Failure of African Leaders (1)

Article by: Mr. Austin Brako-Powers (former NUGS Press and Information Secretary)

Statistics of unemployed youth in the continent is fast building up against the tidal wave of promises from the continents leadership for job creation. A cursory look at the employment status of some African countries cast a very gloomy picture and begs asking whether the continent is degenerating as a result of leadership rhetoric or unproductive nature of the few workers. Africa, as have been recounted in many literatures is blessed with one of the best natural resources ever in the history of mankind. The continent is replete with Oil; Gold; Diamond; Bauxite; Cocoa; Iron; Uranium; Manganese; Timber and over tens of thousands rivers scattered within the four walls of the continent. The continent has its share of giant oil producing countries among which included Nigeria; Angola; Equitorial Guinea; Algeria; Libya and the “later paul” Ghana. With daily oil revenue of more than a billion dollar trickling into individual national coffers, the continent look tattered as ever before incomparable to the pre-independence era. Where did we go wrong?

Today, the continent is buried in avalanche of debts - a direct consequences of an unbridle thirst for corruption and an unchecked habit of sourcing loans from the Britton Wood institutions for God knows what projects.

Against the manipulative statistics of the World Bank and its allied institution, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the continent is not looking any better than the days we were trading our natural resources to raise our own fund for domestic purposes. The leadership of the World Bank has always been smart in weaning their way into the fabric of any new leadership of the continent under the guise of a  ‘good Samaritan’ only to end up corrupting the conscience of the leadership to fighting against its sometimes naïve citizens. The implementations of nightmare IMF and World Bank policies of the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP­), as well as the ‘fierce’ push for the ratification of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) by the countries of the European Union are cogent evidence against ‘all thou gentle’ Western nations.

In a report issued by the Institute of Statistical and Economic Research (ISSER) read by Dr. Tsikata of the University of Ghana, Legon on March, 15 2013, the gap between the few rich in the Ghanaian society and the million poor is indicated to be widening at an all-time fast pace. In South Africa too, the African community in the black majority country is growing poor while the few whites and blacks are getting richer by seconds. Coupled with the issue of the yawing gap between the few rich and the many poor is the nagging challenge of graduates having to live with unemployment temporarily-permanently in a country they have sworn to protect and love ‘till death tear them apart’. It was to protect the sacrosanct of these oaths that led some youths in Tunisia to lit themselves up in fire to prevent the ‘basic bargain of life’ from slipping away from the citizens to the swine on the field.

It is worthy to note that, the Peoples’ Revolutions in both Tunisia and Egypt were fanned by hardship economic times, unfair national Government policies against locals, and the stinking impudence of corrupt national officials. In Ghana as is becoming the fashion of some other neighboring countries, politics has become the career for the poor unemployed particularly those with the ‘sharp teeth’ to insult the elderly who holds different political opinions. Both the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Parties (NPP) understand the difficult economic times the nation finds itself and have been smart at harnessing the talents of the growing unemployed graduates to achieve their selfish and corrupt ends.

As is persisting in Uganda, the present leader of Ghana has through his many ministerial appointments been expanding the empires of our Northern brothers and sisters since he’s a native of that region. Close to eighty per cent (80%) of his cabinet is made up of his tribe men and women to the chagrin of sometimes his own party functionaries. Like the leadership agenda of President Yoweri Musevini of Uganda, President Mahama of Ghana has blamed his misfortune on the opposition parties even more especially his indecisive and confused demeanor that has characterized his regional ministerial appointments. What’s nationalistic about Mahama’s appointments? Or is it the case of our time?

President Mahama’s promises of job creation have become smoke fizzling into the ‘unemployed-infused’ thin air.

Individual international researchers estimated that, by 2020 Ghana will have one of the largest pools of unemployed Graduates and non-Graduates ever in the history of the continent if national effort is not directed to job creation. And in order to arrest the cases of graduate joblessness as vividly captured by Hon. Moses Asaga (Minister of Employment and Social Welfare), the Government of President Mahama should graduate from empty rhetoric and unnecessary propaganda to a more truthful stand which is in keeping with the dire needs of the good people of Ghana. As he’s feverishly anticipating another victory ahead of his 2016 battle against his political foes, addressing the incessant water shortage across the country, the housing deficit largely in the urban areas and the frequent power outages in the country should surely be his best bet to the now named “Jubilee Flagstaff House”. He also has the task of weaning his Government off the presence of ‘sharp teeth’ party functionaries who are setting a very distasteful precedence ever in the political history of Ghana through the encouragement of youths who use foul languages against their political opponents.

The fight against growing Graduate joblessness in the continent will be spectacular but a laser-like-focus on addressing the conflict between needs and wants to meet in the life of the citizens will be a significant step to freeing the conscience of our youth concerning the political processes. The continent is ours to keep and build. Western leadership ‘Samaritan’ appearance should not intoxicate us to believing that, they wish us well more especially when they know our continent has the best of what the Universe could offer humanity. To all persons of African descent, wherever you live in this part of the world, know that, the life of the continent can be salvage by us and the destiny of this continent can be turned to see the brighter sun of prosperity once again. Let us remember that the power to shape it the way we see it in our dreams lies in your hand.